Olive Frances School Prepares to Open in Banbury

Refurbishments are well underway at our newly named Olive Frances School in Banbury which is due to open to its first cohort of pupils in September! The new school will provide places for 84 children from Oxfordshire, including those with a neurodiverse profile or social, emotional and mental health needs.

Loren Cahill is the head of organic growth at Polaris and has worked on a large portfolio of new SEND schools across the UK. Loren said:

“Developments at this school are going well and we’re really pleased that we could maintain the school’s purpose for the local community.

“Our goal at Olive Frances is to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment for children with additional needs who might not have been able to reach their full potential in a mainstream provision.

“We’ve seen brilliant progression and outcomes for pupils in our other schools around the country and are so pleased we can now give this much-needed specialist provision to the young people of Oxfordshire.”

Facilities at the school will include a teaching kitchen, science lab, art suite, forest school and areas for sports and physical education including expansive grounds for children to explore.  There will also be sensory break out areas for children who need time and space to regulate.

Loren added: “The extensive facilities at Olive France School support a diverse range of enriching opportunities and we are pleased that our future pupils will benefit from them.”

The local authority which will work closely with the school to ensure children are appropriately placed based on location and need through a referral system.

The school has been named after Olive Frances Gibbs, a former Oxfordshire politician, mayor and anti-nuclear weapons campaigner.

You can find out more about Olive Frances School and view available jobs on the school’s new website here